Review: River Hotel Ha Tien, Staying Overnight on the Way to Kampot from Vietnam

When I decided to cross the border from Vietnam to Cambodia, I had several alternatives with visiting Phu Quoc being one of them. Eventually, I decided to skip Phu Quoc since I just came back from Bali a few months before. As a result, I stopped by Ha Tien instead on my way to Kampot from Chau Doc.

I created a brief itinerary about some places to visit in Ha Tien, but I ended up not going anywhere except for dinner because the weather was too hot and I found out that Grabbike wasn't available in the city. So yes, if you want to get around the town in Ha Tien, the best option is to take a taxi.

But since I was traveling solo and on the budget at the time, I decided to just stay in the hotel where I stayed overnight there: River Hotel, Ha Tien.

Table of Content

Ha Tien, Kien Giang: A Transit Town Near Vietnam-Cambodia Border

Ha Tien is a large seaside town in Kien Giang Province, which is located at the western end of the Mekong Delta close to the Cambodian border in Vietnam.

Even though it's less visited by tourists compared to some other areas in the southern part of Vietnam, the town is an ideal place to stay overnight if you're planning to go to Cambodia from Vietnam or the other way around.

As I mentioned on my previous post about the bus from Chau Doc to Ha Tien, the minibus service leaves Ha Tien at around 1 PM by the latest. I don't want to bother about taking a risk if I couldn't catch the minibus from Chau Doc, so I decided to just stay overnight in Ha Tien instead.

And even though I couldn't share any experience about what to do in Ha Tien, I can at least share my thoughts on the hotel where I stayed the night at the time.

River Hotel, Ha Tien

I'm not proud of this, but I think I got scammed by the taxi driver who took me to the hotel from Ha Tien bus terminal. They charged me VND 70,000 (around $3 USD) when the receptionist said it should be around VND 50,000 (around $2 USD). Well, the gap isn't that much so I don't bother about it that much.

But anyway, Ha Tien is actually a nice town with the bridge that actually resemblances the bridge in Penang or Hong Kong on the way to the airport. The bridge is built above the sea and River Hotel itself is named so because it's located by the seaside.

To be fair, the location is quite strategic with a quiet nice view. The only downside is that when I was there, the sidewalk on the seaside was under construction so it wasn't so pedestrian-friendly.

First Impression at River Hotel, Ha Tien

I arrived at River Hotel around 11 AM, and to be honest the heat in Ha Tien at the time kinda exhausted me so I was a bit afraid that I wouldn't be able to check-in early.

For my overnight stay at the hotel, I booked a double room with the mountain view through Agoda for $22.89 USD per night. It was the most affordable rate at the hotel, as I thought since I was only there for transit, there was no need for anything fancy whatsoever.

FYI, you could also opt for the rate with breakfast included. It's just that since I was on the budget, I booked the one without it. But to be fair, for a hotel where you stay for just one night, River Hotel has more than enough.

Well, I could do early check-in when I arrived and the staff at the receptionist's desk were super helpful and friendly so my first impression at this hotel was great. When I checked in, they didn't ask for a deposit since I already paid the rate through Agoda.

Double Room with the Mountain View at River Hotel, Ha Tien

I'm not sure whether River Hotel is a 3-star hotel or 4-star hotel, but based on the facilities I'd assume it's the latter. The room is spacious with a bathtub in the shower, and there's also a swimming pool close to the restaurant.

Anyway, when it comes to the room… It has everything you wish for a room. The room is quite big, with a cozy queen-sized bed as well as TV with cables and the fridge full of beverages and beers for additional cost.

They also provide some cup noodles, even though the only complimentary stuff for a guest is 2 small bottles of mineral water.

The only downside about the room is the wifi connection since it's not working at all. I had to tether from my phone since I got some work to do still. But other than that, the room is quite nice to stay for one night! 🙂

I could imagine it would be nicer if I booked a room with a seaside view instead. The mountain view wasn't as nice as I thought it would be, if I could be honest with you.

Food at River Hotel, Ha Tien

Another thing that I was quite disappointed when it comes to the hotel. To be fair, they actually have a thick menu for room service and the restaurant. But for menu like pizza and some selected Western food, it's only available from 3 PM.

I didn't have lunch at the time so I decided to just go downstairs to the pool side and order lunch from there. I bought a plate of fried chicken and french fries with Coca-Cola for VND 90,000 (around $3.8 USD)… Only to get disappointed because their fried chicken was still raw.

It was so gross that I refrained from going to the restaurant again for dinner later that day. It was really a turn off that I even forgot to take a pic for the courtesy. I even forgot to take a pic of the swimming pool!

The swimming pool isn't so bad, btw. It looked okay for just a little exercise, even though it was too hot to swim and I decided not to swim since I was afraid my bikini wouldn't dry up when I left Ha Tien. Like, I don't want to risk myself weighing up my bag with wet clothes!

Review: River Hotel, Ha Tien

Apart from the wifi and the food that kinda traumatized me, I had a pleasant stay in River Hotel, Ha Tien.

The room is so cozy that I ended up staying in the room and taking a long nap the whole day. I only went out for dinner later, and even that I only went to some seafood restaurant close by that I wouldn't count it as an adventure.

If I could give a score for River Hotel in Ha Tien, I would say 9 for the location, the room and the staff. But sadly 5 for the food and the wifi connection.

(+)

I really love the room! If anything, the room is probably the fanciest room that I booked during my whole Indochina trip since it's modern, spacious, and it also comes with a relatively great view.
It's located by the seaside. The view is quite nice to see around, although unfortunately the hot weather really stopped me to explore a bit more of the town when I was there.
The staff is super helpful as they also helped me book a taxi to get to the bus stop to catch my bus to Kampot the next day.
It comes with a swimming pool. Even if you're not planning to do anything during your transit in Ha Tien, you could just swim or simply chill around the pool.

(-)

The wifi in my room wasn't working! It is a total turn off, especially if you work remotely as I did.
I really don't want to post anything with hatred but the fried chicken that I ordered was disgusting! Enough was enough for me when I saw the blood on the chicken. The pizza in the menu looked nice though, but I was too afraid to order for dinner again from the restaurant because of the traumatizing fried chicken.

My Final Verdict for River Hotel, Ha Tien

Location-wise, River Hotel is quite nice. But I think if I ever get a chance to come back to Ha Tien again, I'd probably want to stay elsewhere. Like seriously, I wasn't impressed by the food. Even the dinner I had at the restaurant near the hotel wasn't so impressive.

So yeah… Staying overnight at River Hotel was quite nice, but there are things that they might (and should!) improve.

Well, have you ever been to Ha Tien and maybe stayed in another hotel? Tell me your experience below, and cheerio! 😀